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Phytochemicals in medicine and food
... Phytochemicals are widely distributed in plants, fruits, flowers, crops, and vegetables and have been credited to possess essential biologically active compounds with wide range of health benefits such as anti-cancer, antioxidant, anti-diabetic, and anti-microbial (Lee, Kim, Hwang, Kim, & Lee, 2018;Srivastava, Chauhan, and Sharma 2012). Evidence-based on epidemiological data have shown that the natural bioactive compounds such as polyphenols, flavonoids, alkaloids, polysaccharides, stilbenoids, and essential oils, play an important role in managing modern diseases such diabetes, and Alzheimer's diseases (Xiao 2015). A study showed that water-soluble cranberry phenolic extracts prepared from commercial cranberry powder effectively inhibited proliferation of several human tumor cell lines; including two oral cancer cell lines (CAL27 and KB), four colon cancer cell lines (HT-29, HCT-116, SW480, and SW620), and three prostate cancer cell lines (RWPE-1, RWPE-2, and 22Rv1) (Seeram et al. 2004). ...
... A promising source of anti-cancer and antioxidant phytochemicals. The freshwater macrophytes-derived natural products exhibited anti-cancer and antioxidative bioactivities (Xiao 2015). ...
Phytochemicals are important bioactive components present in natural products. Although the health benefits of many food products are well-known and accepted as a common knowledge, the identity of the main bioactive molecules and the mechanism by which they interact in the body of human are often unknown. It was only in the last 30 years when the field of metabolomics had matured that the identification of such molecules with bioactivity has been made possible through the development of instruments to separate and computational techniques to characterize complex samples. This in turn has enabled in vitro studies to quantify the biological activity of the respective phytochemical either in mice models or in humans. In this review, the importance of key dietary phytochemicals such as phenolic acids, flavonoids, carotenoids, resveratrol, curcumin, and capsaicinoids are discussed together with their potential functions for human health. Untargeted metabolomics, in particular, liquid chromatography mass spectrometry, is the most used method to isolate, identify and profile bioactive compounds in the study of phytochemicals in foods. The application of metabolomics in drug discovery is a common practice nowadays and has boosted the drug and/or supplement manufacturing sector.
• Highlights
• Phytochemicals are beneficial compounds for human health
• Phytochemicals are plant-based bioactive and obtainable from natural products
• Untargeted metabolomics has boosted the discovery of phytochemicals from food
• Targeted metabolomics is key in the authentication and screening of phytochemicals
• Metabolomics of phytochemicals is reshaping the road to drug and supplement manufacture
... Furthermore, these compounds have been reported to be responsible for several biological activities in natural products, such as plants. 48,49 This indicated that they played an essential role in the pharmaceutical property of the extract, including its antioxidant, cytotoxic, antidiabetic, and antibacterial activities. The total phenolic content () of the G. pictum extract was higher compared to the total flavonoid content, namely 41.17±2.38 mg GAE/g and 26.52±0.61 ...
Objective:
Graptophyllum pictum (L.) Griff is a medicinal shrub belonging to the Acanthaceae family and is traditionally used to treat various diseases. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the pharmaceutical properties and phytochemical profiles of the methanolic extract of G. pictum.
Materials and methods:
G. pictum leaves was extracted using methanol. Antioxidant, cytotoxic on Michigan Cancer Foundation-7 (MCF-7) and HepG2, antidiabetic, and antibacterial properties were evaluated in vitro. Chemical profile of the extract was identified through qualitative (for phytochemicals), quantitative (for phenolic and flavonoid content), and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis.
Results:
The results showed that the extract had potent antioxidant activity against 2,2-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radicals with IC50 values of 49.00 ± 3.20 µg/mL and 70.18 ± 3.27 µg/mL, respectively. It also exhibited cytotoxic effects on human breast (MCF-7) and liver (HepG2) carcinoma cells with growth inhibition percentages of 74.29 ± 1.53% and 64.90 ± 1.94%, respectively. The antidiabetic assay showed that the extract had inhibitory effects on α-glucosidase activity with IC50 value 194.59 ± 15.59 µg/mL, indicating its potential to be developed as an antidiabetic agent. Furthermore, it had antibacterial properties against four test strains, and the highest activity was found against Bacillus subtilis American Type Culture Collection 19659, with minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration values of 625 µg/mL and 1250 µg/mL, respectively. Phytochemical tests indicated the presence of alkaloids, flavonoid and terpenoids in the extract, with total phenolic content and total flavonoid content of 41.17 ± 2.38 mg gallic acid equivalents/g and 26.52 ± 0.61 mg quercetin equivalent/g, respectively. GC-MS analysis revealed that it contained several active compounds, including eicosane, 2,4-Di-tert-butylphenol, hentriacontane, tetracosane, octacosane, sulfurous acid, 2-methylhexacosane, docosane, heneicosane, 1-propene-1,2,3-tricarboxylic acid, tributyl ester, and pentacosane.
Conclusion:
The extract derived from G. pictum leaves was a potential source of therapeutic compounds, particularly for antioxidant, antidiabetic, anticancer, and antibacterial agents.
... Other plant-based materials such as chiral protein superparticles now show promises in immunotherapy and tumor suppression [89]. Additionally, secondary plant metabolites like polyphenols, alkaloids, flavonoids, and stilbenoids are currently utilized as interventions in a variety of neurological, immunological, and metabolic diseases and as foods to boost health in various parts of the world [90]. Although used for a long time in traditional medicine, secondary plant metabolites are now being explored and studied for their anti-bacterial properties owing to the growing antibiotic resistance by pathogens. ...
Antimicrobial resistance is among the top global health problems with antibacterial resistance currently representing the major threat both in terms of occurrence and complexity. One reason current treatments of bacterial diseases are ineffective is the occurrence of protective and resistant biofilm structures. Phytochemicals are currently being reviewed for newer anti-virulence agents. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the anti-virulence activity of 3,3′-diindolylmethane (DIM), a bioactive cruciferous phytochemical. Using a series of in vitro assays on major Gram-negative pathogens, including transcriptomic analysis, and in vivo porcine wound studies as well as in silico experiments, we show that DIM has anti-biofilm activity. Following DIM treatment, our findings show that biofilm formation of two of the most prioritized bacterial pathogens Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa was inhibited respectively by 65% and 70%. Combining the antibiotic tobramycin with DIM enabled a high inhibition (94%) of P. aeruginosa biofilm. A DIM-based formulation, evaluated for its wound-healing efficacy on P. aeruginosa-infected wounds, showed a reduction in its bacterial bioburden, and wound size. RNA-seq was used to evaluate the molecular mechanism underlying the bacterial response to DIM. The gene expression profile encompassed shifts in virulence and biofilm-associated genes. A network regulation analysis showed the downregulation of 14 virulence-associated super-regulators. Quantitative real-time PCR verified and supported the transcriptomic results. Molecular docking and interaction profiling indicate that DIM can be accommodated in the autoinducer- or DNA-binding pockets of the virulence regulators making multiple non-covalent interactions with the key residues that are involved in ligand binding. DIM treatment prevented biofilm formation and destroyed existing biofilm without affecting microbial death rates. This study provides evidence for bacterial virulence attenuation by DIM.
... The use of plants and herbs as medicines in different countries is as old as the existence of man, and they have been regarded as indispensable source of therapeutically valued phytochemical compounds (1,2). These naturally-derived chemical compounds are used in traditional medicine to combat various forms of human infections and diseases with little or no side effects (3,4). This development has been initiated by the increase in the resistance of microbial agents, especially the pace of evolution of pandrug-resistant bacteria, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumannii, Klebsiella pneumonia and other members of "ESKAPE" human pathogens to the current antibiotics, which has become a persistent global threat (5,6). ...
Lecaniodiscus cupanioides Planch. ex Benth (Order: Sapindales; Family Sapindaceae) is an ethnomedicinal plant that is used as an effective herbal remedy for human diseases and infections in local communities across Africa and Asia. However, its pharmacologically bioactive constituents remain largely unknown. In the present study, extracts from the leaves part of L. cupanioides plant were screened against eleven (11) strains of bacteria by employing microplate broth dilution method. The phytochemical profile of the hexane extract was determined by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). The extracts exhibited broad spectrum of antibacterial activities against the tested strains, with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ranging from 0.10-3.33 mg/mL. GC-MS analysis of the extract putatively confirmed the presence 48 phytochemicals which could be responsible for the antibacterial activity. These include phytol, β-citronellol, hexadecanoic acid methyl ester, 1-heptacosanol, and neophytadiene among others. However, it is pertinent to isolate, elucidate and unequivocally evaluate the antibacterial activity of the individual bioactive compound, and elucidate their mechanism of antibacterial actions. According to the literature search and to the best of our knowledge, the phytochemical composition of the leaves extract from L. cupanioides, investigated by GC-MS, was studied for the first time in this study. The current study justifies the clinical traditional uses of L. cupanioides in the management of diseases and infections caused by pathogenic bacteria in Nigerian ethnomedicine.
... In today's modernized world, livelihood is leading the population toward profound change in terms of more good diet habits with the aspiration of more natural and healthy food products (Henry et al., 2016). Research on bioactive compounds especially in phytochemicals in natural food products possessing high antioxidant activities and health beneficial properties has increased at a great pace (Xiao, 2015). Banana blossom of the Musa balbisiana (known locally as "bhimkol" or "athiyakol" in Assam Region, India), a family of Musaceae gaining interest in its bioactive compounds (Borborah et al., 2016) and regarded to be high medicinal values that have been consumed as various cuisines like raw salad, fried snacks, soup, etc., mostly in Southeast Asian countries (Wickramarachchi & Ranamukhaarachchi, 2005). ...
Three extraction techniques viz., conventional, ultrasound‐assisted and supercritical fluid extractions (SCFE) were used to study the total polyphenol content (TPC) and antioxidant activity in bhimkol (Musa balbisiana) banana blossom. Optimization was carried out to attain major phytochemicals by using response surface methodology‐central composite design. Various parts of blossom and whole banana blossom (WB) were investigated for their major phytochemical constituents by conventional method and RP‐HPLC (at the optimized condition). The WB revealed higher phytochemical contents than other parts. Highest TPC (2750.37 mg GAE/100g) was obtained in WB by the SCFE method vis‐à‐vis the antioxidant activity (79.41%) at optimized condition (600C, 210 bar, 40 min, and 5 g/min CO2 flow‐rate). RP‐HPLC analysis revealed various phytochemicals of different concentrations depending on the extraction method used. SCFE revealed higher phytochemical contents as compared to ultrasound‐assisted extraction and conventional methods. The results of the present investigation will be useful in development of functional foods.
Spilanthes filicaulis (Schumach. & Thonn.) C. D. Adams is synonymous to Acmella caulirhiza Delile. The plant, also known as cock’s eye or African cress, is a medicinal herb that belongs to the Asteraceae family. In this paper, the holistic and current applications of S. filicaulis were synthesized and critically discussed by summarizing, for the first time, its botany, traditional medicinal uses, active components, and pharmacological properties. We employed the databases of ScienceDirect, Scopus, Online Wiley library, PubMed, and Google Scholar to retrieve data on S. filicaulis from inception till February 2024, resulting in more than 70 electronic references. Based on literature reports, S. filicaulis has rich ethnopharmacological uses in different disease areas but their scientific validations are still in early stage, or not verified yet. In general, 16 phytochemicals have been identified so far. They include spilanthol, piperine, erucic acid, and isoquinoline derivative among others. The plant extracts possess anticancer, antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, hepato-protective, anthelminthic, and analgesic activities. In the future, the phytochemical components, and biological activities of S. filicaulis need to be further investigated. Similarly, mechanistic studies need to be incorporated to the biological testing, to uncover the modes of actions of the species extracts and active components. Considering the species’ rich ethnopharmacological applications, and the dearth of robust and established toxicity reports, the study on the safety of S. filicaulis would be an interesting and rewarding approach for further research.
En el presente estudio, se empleó el exocarpio pepino cohombro (Cucumis sativus) y mesocarpio de la granadilla (Passiflora ligularis), como fuentes promisorias de pectina para la industria. Se empleó hidrolisis acida y se analizaron dos niveles de pH y dos tiempos de hidrolisis. La calidad de las pectinas obtenidas fue evaluada (Humedad, pH final, índice de metoxilo, porcentaje de esterificación, ácido galacturónico, análisis IR) y los resultados fueron comparados con un estándar comercial y literatura.Los análisis realizados mostraron que las pectinas obtenidas a partir de estas dos fuentes exhiben excelentes características en comparación a los estándares pedidos para este tipo de material. También se identificaron las condiciones que maximizan el rendimiento de extracción, generando una alternativa para el manejo de subproductos de industrias relacionadas.
Camptothecin (CPT) is a kind of modified monoterpene indole alkaloid firstly identified from woody plant Camptotheca acuminata, and its semisynthetic CPT analogs irinothecan and topothecan are clinically used for the treatment of various cancers throughout the world. However, the extraction of CPT from limited natural CPT-producing plant resources couldn’t meet the rapidly increasing market need. The development of plant metabolic engineering provides one alternative way to increase CPT yield by genetic manipulation, which relies on in-depth understanding of the CPT biosynthesis pathway. Several attempts have been also made to obtain CPT by biotechnological approaches such as cell suspensions, endophytic fungi, hairy roots, elicitation as well as metabolic engineering in the past decade. Here, recent advances in knowledge of biosynthesis of CPT, gene isolation, molecular regulation, production improvement and biotechnological methods are summarized and future perspectives are also discussed in this review.
Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn. has a relatively wide geographical distribution and biological diversity; various lotus parts have excellent food and medicinal values. Lotus seeds, which are currently the oldest known plant seeds, contain many functional ingredients. They can be eaten raw or cooked, and are often added to foods as ingredients or supplements. Many naturally occurring ingredients isolated from lotus seeds are certified to be multiple functional compounds, such as polyphenols, protein, polysaccharides. Proteins and carbohydrates are the main nutrients of lotus seeds. Low fat content and good proportion of amino acids confer to lotus seeds unique nutritional values that have attracted increasing attention around the world: multiple studies have assessed the functional components of lotus seeds. The bioactivity of ingredients from lotus seeds in vitro and in vivo include antioxidant activity, hypoglycemic, immunomodulatory, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, analgesic effects as well as gastrointestinal regulation. Lotus seeds show prospective application in function food area and traditional medicine research. Furthermore, structure-activity relationship of functional compounds from lotus seeds will attracts much more interests in recent years. This work briefly reviews the nutrition composition, physiological functions and processing methods of lotus seeds, describing the impact of the latter on nutrient preservation. In addition, this review addresses the recent progresses made in this area and discusses the potential applications and limitations.
Edible freshwater macrophytes (EFM) are edible, macroscopic freshwater plants, many of which are also used as traditional/folk medicine. This mini-review highlights phytochemical and pharmacological evidence pertaining to anticancer and antioxidative natural products derived from EFM, with special attention to Centella asiatica (Indian pennywort), Nelumbo nucifera (sacred lotus), Nasturtium officinale (watercress), Ipomoea aquatica (water spinach) and Ludwigia adscendens (water primrose). Current knowledge gaps and further research opportunities are also discussed. EFM is a promising source of anticancer and antioxidative natural products which warrants more extensive exploration. More research is needed before such natural products can be exploited for application in food and medicine.
The transgenic hairy root cultures have revolutionized the role of tissue culture of plants in the production of secondary metabolites. It was shown that hairy roots often exhibit about the same or higher biosynthetic capacity for secondary metabolite production comparing to their normal roots. Using this methodology, a big number of chemical compounds has been synthesized. The role of single rol genes in secondary metabolite production was studied. Stimulatory effect on the production of secondary metabolites has been shown for genes rolA, rolB, rolC. These genes are present in naturally trasgenic Linaria and Nicotiana plants that are discussed as a model for study of possible evolutionary function of rol genes in the control of secondary metabolites.
The transgenic hairy root cultures have revolutionized the role of tissue culture of plants in the production of secondary metabolites. It was shown that hairy roots often exhibit about the same or higher biosynthetic capacity for secondary metabolite production comparing to their normal roots. Using this methodology, a big number of chemical compounds has been synthesized. The role of single rol genes in secondary metabolite production was studied. Stimulatory effect on the production of secondary metabolites has been shown for genes rolA, rolB, rolC. These genes are present in naturally trasgenic Linaria and Nicotiana plants that are discussed as a model for study of possible evolutionary function of rol genes in the control of secondary metabolites.
Isoflavonoids are the biologically active secondary metabolites of plants that are being used for several health promoting and restoring effects mediated through different pathways. Isoflavonoids are structurally similar to estrogens due to which also known as phytoestrogens and have shown potent estrogenic and anti-estrogenic activity. Association with large biological activity lead to the need of rapid, sensitive and precise quantitation of different isoflavonoids in different plant extracts, food materials and biological matrices as the biological activities mainly depends on the quantities and nature of isoflavonoids present in them. The characterisation, standardisation and quantification of herbal extracts or food products require techniques that are highly selective, sensitive and also provide mass measurement precisions and structural information. Liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectroscopy has made it possible to analyse and characterize several constituents and their metabolites in a single run along with high selectivity and sensitivity. In this review, we have summarised the application of LC–MS/MS for the identification and quantification of isoflavonoids reported for various plant extracts and food products along with their general extraction procedures and factors affecting extraction providing a view towards the conditions used for their analysis. The most suitable and widely acceptable extraction solvent system for the isoflavonoids is methanol or ethanol in combination with water ranging from 40 to 60 % organic solvent based on the type of tissues and the isoflavonoids to be extracted by different extraction techniques. ESI ionization with Q-TOF MS was the most useful detection system for the characterisation and quantification of the diverse isoflavonoids with molecular insights.
We review the recent literature on the protective effects of soy isoflavones and other bioactive components. We review the effect of combinations of three soy isoflavones, daidzein, genistein, and glycitein and examine the interactions of individual soy isoflavones with other compounds such as vitamins, trace elements, chemotherapeutics, and phytoestrogens. We further review the effect of whole isoflavones and other compounds and discuss these effects when assessing the risks associated with various environmental and food compounds.
Saussurea medusa Maxim. is a plant source of the traditional medicine known as “snow lotus” which has been recorded in many ethnopharmacy books, including: Herbal Communications, Flora Tibet, National Herbal Compendium, and Crystal beads Materia Medica, This plant is also a medicinal plant source of Gaode-Subage, a Mongolian folk medicine. The review summarizes the traditional uses and current knowledge concerning the botany, phytochemistry, pharmacological effects, toxicology studies and clinical applications of S. medusa. These could guide the priorities and direction of the future research. Information on S. medusa was gathered from e-literature found on the internet using SCI Finder, Google Scholar, Web of science, PubMed, CNKI, and the Wanfang database, and from printed material (books, theses, etc.) found in libraries. Additionally, information was also obtained from some local herb gatherers, herbal peddler and herbalist. More than 70 chemical compounds have been isolated, including apigenin, quercetin, rutin, arctigenin, saussureoside A, and saussureoside B. Modern pharmacological studies have found that S. medusa has anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-fungal, anti-tumor, anti-anoxia, anti-oxidation, and anti-fatigue effects. This plant also benefits the uterus, cardiovascular system, intestines, tracheal smooth muscle, and immune system. S. medusa is an important traditional herbal medicine with a broad spectrum of therapeutic efficacies. It has the reputation of non-toxic. Due to the low source of the original plant, experiment of cell culture of S. medusa can improve the output of the medicine. Further studies can lead to the development of new drugs and therapeutics from this medical plant for various diseases.
Brick dark tea is a unique brick-formed tea compressed from the older, coarse and rough leaves and branches of Camellia sinensis var. sinensis and C. sinensis var. assamica mainly in Hunan, Sichuan and Yunnan provinces in China. Researches on brick dark tea have become increasingly popular owing to its special health benefits. A series of biochemical reactions occur during the special production—microbial fermentation stage and multitudinous components have been detected. Many of the functional components have been isolated and identified from brick dark tea. In this paper, modern manufacturing techniques about different kinds of brick dark tea and their effects on transformation of the chemical constituents, as well as the chemical components were reviewed and discussed.
Camptothecin (CPT) is a kind of terpene indole alkaloid which was firstly isolated from native Chinese happy tree Camptotheca acuminata and owns a unique anti-tumor mechanism by inhibiting Topo I. Being approved by FDA, the camptothecin derivatives, irinotecan and topotecan, are extensively used for the treatment of various cancers throughout the world. In the past decades, pharmacology of CPT and its analogues has been well documented. This review will focus on different human malignancies with demonstrated clinical efficacy of CPT analogues.